Senator slams companies on sports helmet claims

A Senate committee chairman said Wednesday that companies that market their sports equipment as helping to prevent concussions are making "empty, unsubstantiated" claims.

"Nothing is simple about this issue. That's why I find it so disturbing that some sports equipment manufacturers are exploiting our growing concerns about sports concussions to market so-called `anti-concussion' products to athletes and their parents," Sen. Jay Rockefeller said in testimony prepared for the hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

The West Virginia Democrat didn't name any companies. But manufacturers such as Riddell have come under criticism for claiming their football helmets reduce concussions. One company, Brain-Pad, claims its mouth guard helps reduce the risk of concussions.

Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, director of Michigan Neurosport, a clinic that diagnoses and treats concussions for athletes, testified that no piece of equipment can significantly prevent concussions.

"The potential harm that I see being caused by products that claim to prevent concussion when they do not is far more than simply the financial harm of paying more for something that isn't likely to work as claimed," he said. "It is the harm that comes from having a false sense of security, from not understanding how the injury occurs and what can actually be done to prevent it."

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate what he calls "misleading safety claims and deceptive practices." He has introduced legislation giving the industry nine months to come up with new standards that address concussion risks and the specific needs of young players.

The bill would make it a crime to sell any sporting equipment that makes false or misleading claims about safety benefits.